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It's official - Fressnapf and WelkeGruppe of Dortmund will in the future be treading a common path. Fressnapf boss Torsten Toeller and WelkeGruppe’s managing partner Thomas Brill today signed the contracts for future collaboration. This follows the agreement between WelkeGruppe and SAGAFLOR to end their business association.

"In Thomas Brill we have gained one of the most able and successful specialty pet retailers in Germany," explains Fressnapf's boss Torsten Toeller. "His switch from SAGAFLOR to Fressnapf is a unique milestone in our 20-year history. We are delighted at the confidence Thomas Brill has shown in us and we share the same ambitious goals." Thomas Brill adds: "With Fressnapf's power, we have henceforth the strongest partner at our side who sparkles with performance and offers outstanding prerequisites for rapid and efficient growth."

Thomas Brill and the WelkeGruppe will be playing a prominent role in the expansion of the Megazoo brand. In line with this, the six existing large-scale specialty stores of the WelkeGruppe will appear under the Megazoo banner in the future. They will be successively reflagged during 2010. Fressnapf currently operates four Megazoo stores in Germany with two more opening in July in Koblenz and Hannover. There are a further five Megazoos in Austria. In the long term, 100 Megazoo stores with a turnover of around 350 million euros is feasible in Europe", according to Marc Lukies, member of the Fressnapf management and responsible for Megazoo. Initially, the Megazoo expansion will be driven within Germany, then in the European markets where Fressnapf occupies the leading market positions.

The great success of its two-brand concept is the reason that Fressnapf will pursue this strategy with all its energy. With Fressnapf and Megazoo, the Krefeld franchise company has two strong brands in pole position which ideally compliment each other. The Megazoo brand specialises in excitingly staged "shopping experience" landscapes built around all kinds of live animals, from exotic reptiles and birds to sea water aquaristics.

In this regard, there is a highly conscious commitment to independent product ranges. Thus there are currently around 16,000 different articles on the Megazoo listing. The catchment area for the large-scale Megazoo stores is far greater than that of the classic Fressnapf stores. Megazoo achieves around two-thirds of its total turnover with accessories and live animals. By contrast, Fressnapf stores follow the concept of the specialty discounter, are seen as local suppliers and feedstuff specialists and focus on pet food and the fast movers in the accessories segment.

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Thomas Brill and Marc Lukies RGB JPG A warm welcome to the Fressnapf Group: Marc Lukies (right) greets Thomas Brill as the new business partner who will be playing a prominent role in the expansion of the Megazoo brand. Photo: Fressnapf /Achim Schütz 24.06.2010 Download (570KB)